Roller chart



March 18, 1952 FOSTER 2,589,609

ROLLER CHART Filed Aug. 17. 1949 //d Md 35i. /7 25 2/ I yi ig a fizz/477507" am 15% AiZarzzez/s' 'and terminates at the circular opening I2.

Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

4 Claims.

releasably locking the roller shaft relative to the rollersupport. 1 The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following'description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the invention showing it mounted on the underside of a shelf.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged View partially in section and with the central portions broken away,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through one end of the roller support.

Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4 and taken through the other end of the roller support.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail partially in section of the roller rod rotating and locking knob.

Fig. 7 is a section taken approximately on the line of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section taken approximately on the line 88 of Fig. 2.

The roller support includes a housing 9 having afront panel I0 and a top I I. The ends of these panels are turned to overlap each other, providing end plate portions Illa and Ila. The end plate portions IIla are also bent outwardly at Iflb to provide attachment clips when the device is placed against a vertical supporting surface. The top panel I I may be provided with suitable holes not shown to accommodate attachment screws when the device is mounted as shown in Fig. 1.

The left hand end of the housing 9 is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The end plate portion I Ila is provided with a circular aperture I2 and the end plate portion II a with a slot I3 which extends upwardly from the lower edge of said portion I Ia A suitable rivet I4 connects the end plate portions Illa and II a.

The other end of the housing 9 is formed by extensions of the panels I0 and II similarly to the end plate portions Iiia and II a, except that At either side of the coincident slots I5 in the I right, hand end plates are circular apertures II which serve as anchoring apertures for a roller shaft locking arrangement to be described below.

In Fig. 2 there is'shown an elongated cylindrical'member I8 which constitutes a roller. It has end. plugs i9 and 20 through which are "extended a roller rod or shaft 2|. Lying around 'the'shaft 2| and within the cylindrical roller I8 is a torsion spring 22 having one end 23 extendingbetween the plug I9 and the cylinder I8 and then bent over at the outer side of the plug. The other end of the spring 22 is bent upon itself as at 24 and seated in a hole which is formed through the roller rod 2| adjacent the right end thereof.

The right hand end of the roller rod 2| extends a considerable distance beyond the end of the housing 9, and is provided with a knob 25. This knob is shown in detail in Figs. 6 and '7. It has a cup shaped flange 26 forming a part thereof and from opposite sides of the flange extend hook-like members 21 which lie parallel to the roller rod 2|. The hook-like members 2'! are receivable in the apertures I I which pass through the right hand end of housing 9. The hooks 28 on the member 21 are adapted to lie inside of the end plate portion Mid and said hook portions I8 are so disposed that the spring 22 will yieldably maintain them in a hooked position. In order to release them the knob 25 is turned very slightly against the twisting spring 22 to dislodge the.

stationary, the spring 22 can be wound to give it any desired increased tension to properly roll a chart such as the chart 29 shown in Fig. 1.

The spring 22 is also stretched somewhat longitudinally of the rod 2| so that the hook-like elements 21 on the knob 25 will be further held in the openings I! in the right hand end plate portion Illd.

The roller assembly can be readily removed from the housing 9. When the knob 25 is turned slightly and pulled outwardly longitudinally of the axis of the rod 2|, said rod and the entire roller assembly can be removed. The rod 2| at its right hand end can be slipped out of the slots I5 in the end plates loci and I Id and the left hand end of the rod 2| can then be pulled longitudinally from the circular opening l2 in the left hand end plate portion Illa.

When the roller is re-mounted in the housing 9 the guide slot l3 in the left hand end plate portion Ila will readily guide the end of the roller rod 2| into registration with the circular aperture 12 in the end plate portion Ila. The right hand end of the assembly can then be anchored by placingthe hook units 21 in their respective apertures I! in the right hand end portion Id.

The features brought out herein are directed to means for facilitating tightening of the spring 22 and also to readily removing the roller assem;v

bly from the housing so that new charts can be placed thereon and the roller easily replaced; The units can be made very compact and its assembly is dependable even though the structure. is comparatively simple.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in they form, details, are reee 'rne nd P E Q iQ o he ar ous parts without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is; v

1, Ina. roller chart, a roller support including an end plate with a rollershaft guide recess formed therein, a roller shaft extending through and rotatablev in said recess, said shaft having imited axi 11 ment t m S i 3 P at and h n Mixe nd m m r. ha n a; hook..- His e rii rfi e n ng n r s d en at and said; end plate having" an aperture in which said hQQ h-ke q p s r 'm v r i d 2 1 s ruc ure n. la m 1 en said. le hav g a pri cbnn e ed, her o to e ebl urge: it axially in one direction and further to yieldably maintain said hook-like portion in its end plate aperture.

3. In a roller chart, a roller support, including an end plate having a roller shaft guide slot therein, a roller including a cylindrical member and a shaft extending therethrough and rotatable relative thereto, a coil spring about said shaft and connected between said shaft and said cylindrical member, said spring bein under tension longitudinally of said shaft, said shaft having its end extending through said guide slot, said end plate having an aperture therein adjacent said guide slot, and an end member fixedly mounted on said shaft at the outer side of said end plate, said end member having a hook-like portion extending toward said end plate and said hooklike portion being removably received in said second mentioned aperture and yieldably retained therein by said coil spring.

4. Ina roller chart, a roller support including a top wall, a first end wall, and a second end wall, said second end wall having a recess formed therein and extending inwardly from one of its side edges, saidrecess being adapted to rotatably receivetherein a roller shaft for guiding purposes only said second end wall also having cooperative roller shaft engagement means spaced from said recess.

MELVILLE E. FOSTER.

naraasnons CITED The l vllqwiu refe are of reqqrd in! the file Of'hlfliS patent; a

UNITED STATES PATENTS House .a June 21, I932 

